Tag Archive for: atlanta design

ADAC ANNOUNCES WELLNESS DAY 2025: A TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE AT THE INTERSECTION OF DESIGN, WELL-BEING, AND NEUROAESTHETICS

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 5/22/25

Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC) is proud to announce Wellness in Design at ADAC, an immersive, all-day event set for Wednesday, June 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This groundbreaking gathering is designed exclusively for the trade and explores the powerful intersection of wellness, design, and neuroaesthetics – the science of how our surroundings impact emotional and cognitive health.
 
Throughout the day, attendees will engage with renowned designers, thought leaders, and wellness experts through transformative presentations, hands-on sessions, and sensory experiences. Events will take place throughout ADAC’s campus in the Designer Lounge, presentation room and select showrooms. From sound bath meditations and color theory to biophilic design and mindful eating, Wellness in Design will provide inspiring, real-world tools to help designers create spaces that nourish the mind, body, and soul. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here. Space is limited to 75.
 
“Wellness in Design at ADAC is more than just a day of programming, it’s a call to action for our design community to lead with mindful intention and purpose,” says Katie Miner, General Manager of ADAC. “By exploring how spaces influence our physical and emotional well-being, we’re empowering designers to create environments that support connection, joy, and healthy living. We’re proud to host a day that brings together such meaningful dialogue, creativity, and innovation.”
 
The full schedule of events is as follows:
 
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Welcome & Light Breakfast
Fuel up and connect with fellow attendees over a light breakfast to kick off the day.
Sponsored by Benjamin Moore
 
9:15 – 9:45 a.m.
Sound Bath Meditation: A Centering Experience to Begin
Start the Wellness in Design journey with a calming Sound Bath Meditation with Chelsea Szegidewicz, designed to ground your senses and awaken your mind for the day ahead. This immersive experience will use sound vibrations to promote deep relaxation and mental clarity, setting a mindful tone for exploring the connection between wellness, design, and neuroaesthetics. 
Sponsored by Benjamin Moore
 
10:00 – 10:45 a.m.
Ode to Color with Lori Weitzner | CEU 0.1
In this presentation internationally renowned textile designer Lori Weitzner provides a rich, layered perspective on the use and significance of color in our world, including guidelines for putting that color knowledge to practical use in interior design. Each of its ten thematic chapters is an immersion into a distinct palette, exploring it through a diverse selection of imagery; excerpts from poetry, fiction, and children’s literature; cultural anecdotes; and personal stories and essays. Including insight on how color affects our moods, how it engages the senses, and how to use it to enhance where we live and work, this experiential course captivates, inspires, and informs throughout. Weitzner will demonstrate the immersive nature of color through other senses including sound, smell and touch. 
Sponsored by Samuel & Sons
 
11:00 – 11:45 a.m.
Hands-On Activities at Samuel & Sons with Lori Weitzner
Continue the color conversation with an interactive showroom experience featuring Samuel & Sons’ exquisite trim collections.
Sponsored by Samuel & Sons
 
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Good and Good for You™ with Chef Virginia Willis
Renowned French-trained Southern chef and James Beard Award-winning cookbook author, Virginia Willis, brings her wisdom to an empowering wellness session rooted in her real-life transformation journey. Once facing serious health challenges brought on by the demands of a high-stress lifestyle, Willis took control of her well-being – losing over 65 pounds and maintaining it for more than four years. In this engaging presentation, Willis will share her Good and Good for You™ approach to healthy living. Attendees will gain practical tips for balanced eating, doable stress-reduction strategies, and powerful mindset tools to support lasting change. A live cooking demo, light lunch, and a book signing of Willis’ beloved cookbook, “BON APPÉTIT, Y’ALL” will follow.
Sponsored by Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio
 
1:45 – 2:30 p.m.
Wellness & the Mind-Body Connection: Designing for Healing and Well-Being
Join LUXE Interiors + Design Executive Director of Editorial + Brand Content Kathryn Given in a conversation with Marie Cloud, Founder & Principal Designer of Indigo Pruitt Design Studio, and Nicole Baxter, interior designer at nBaxter Design, construction coach, and creator of the Neuroaesthetics of Home theory. Together, they’ll explore how intentional design choices can foster emotional well-being, resilience, and connection – highlighting the powerful role environments play in healing the mind and body.
Sponsored by LUXE Interiors + Design
 
2:45 – 3:30 p.m.
The Neuroaesthetics Healing Journey with Lisa Staprans
Award-winning designer Lisa Staprans delivers an inspiring and visually rich presentation exploring The Neuroaesthetics Healing Journey – a powerful intersection of design, neuroscience, and wellness. In this thought-provoking session, Staprans will introduce the concept of NeuroBeauty, the intentional creation of environments that soothe, inspire, and heal through the principles of neuroaesthetics and biophilic design. Learn how surroundings deeply affect the nervous systems and emotional well-being, and discover how to cultivate harmony, connection, and beauty within a space.
 
3:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Book Signing: The Soul of Design by Lisa Staprans
Attendees can meet Staprans and receive signed copies of her book, a deep dive into her philosophy of creating with beauty and intention.
 
3:45 – 4:30 p.m.
Mindful Mixology Mocktail Tasting
Close the day with a curated tasting of zero-proof beverages crafted to engage the senses and encourage reflection and connection.
 
Wellness in Design at ADAC is sponsored by ADAC, Benjamin Moore, Design Galleria Kitchen and Bath Studio, LUXE Interiors + Design, and Samuel & Sons. This event is open to trade only.
 
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: adacatlanta.com/events/wellness-in-design-at-adac

ADAC WINTER PRODUCT LAUNCH SHOWCASE HIGHLIGHTS NEW INDUSTRY TRENDS IN 2020

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 1/11/19

Top Designers Share Their Picks for the New Season with ADAC
January 13th to 17th at ADAC

ADAC’s bi-annual Product Launch Showcase returns next month for its winter edition from January 13-17, 2020. From furniture and fabrics, to accessories and beyond, the Center offers a carefully curated selection of the season’s most noteworthy looks. See inspiring new collections from your favorite showrooms and explore exceptional and potentially untapped resources designed to provide you with exciting directions for your future projects. Participating showrooms include Century Furniture, Habachy Designs + Atelier, Made Goods, Theodore Alexander, and more. The full roster of participating showrooms can be found here.

New this year, ADAC has collaborated with four of the industry’s top names for a special digital initiative. Beginning on Monday, January 13th, follow along on ADAC’s Instagram to view the full Look Book of products to expect. Then, each day throughout the remainder of the week, ADAC will feature favorite picks and design advice from one of the selected designers. Carefully curated mood boards provide an inspirational view into how these designers would incorporate the newest offerings at ADAC into their future projects. Listen in as these designers share Q&A-style videos covering everything from what they find most exciting in the world of design, to their favorite design secrets and sources of inspiration.

Learn more about the designers involved below:

Erika Ward
Erika Ward is an award-winning, published interior designer whose commitment to timeless interiors, lifestyle, and wellness has positioned her to be sought after by both brands and consumers. With her strong foundation in business finance and over a decade of design experience as the owner and principal designer of Erika Ward Interiors in Atlanta, Georgia, Erika has combined both to properly educate the consumer on the benefits, both financial and intrinsic, of a well-designed home.

Chad James
Chad James is the founder and principal of the award-winning design firm Chad James Group based in Nashville, Tennessee. With a rich portfolio, Chad James Group works to create custom residential and commercial construction, including bespoke boutique hotels, refined restaurants, and perfectly appointed homes.

Dana Wolter
Dana Wolter Interiors, LLC, is a luxury, boutique interior design firm based in the Mountain Brook suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. Named a 2014 Traditional Home New Trad and a 2017, 2018, and 2019 Finalist in the ADAC and Veranda‘s Southeast Designers and Architect of the Year Awards, Dana and her team create timeless, well-edited homes across the country that are customized around each client’s personal definition of living well in their home.

Whitney Ray
Whitney Ray, an Atlanta, Georgia native, brings a polished sensibility and unique design vision to partnerships with her clients. Her thoughtful instincts paired with custom creations consistently results in rooms that are elegant and unexpected. She graduated with BA degrees in Art History and Interior Design before co-founding Wyeth Ray Interiors in 2017.